Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Pitt” Episode 10.
A key working relationship might be forever shattered after the latest episode of “The Pitt,” a moment star Patrick Ball had been gearing up for since he landed a lead role on the Max medical drama.
Episode 10 followed the aftermath of nurse Dana (Katherine LaNasa) getting punched in the face by a problematic patient, while other doctors dealt with various personal and professional issues during their 10th hour on duty. Amid the afternoon chaos, Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) checked in on intern Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) after she had been sparring with Langdon. The conversation led to her sharing her concerns that Langdon might be stealing pills from the hospital supply.
The reveal led to a heated confrontation in the locker room where Robby made Langdon open his locker so he could search through it. When he found pills in his possession, Robby had no choice but to tell his right-hand man in the ER to leave.
“It’s the closest thing you are going to get to a breakup scene on ‘The Pitt,’” Patrick Ball told TheWrap. “When s—t hits the fan and Robby says, ‘You’re out,’ it’s brutal. I understand Robby does what he needs to do, but it feels savage.”
During the argument, Langdon admitted that he became dependent on pain medication after taking some following an injury. Ball said that Langdon’s addiction issues had been baked into the character from the very beginning, with the intention of putting a spotlight on a real-life issue that medical professionals face every day.
“Every day these doctors and nurses meet people on the worst day of their lives and that leaves a mark,” he said. While working through Langdon’s storyline during filming, Ball said the on-set med techs would share stories and emphasize how common it is for healthcare professionals with access to drugs to fall into the trap of self-medicating.
“I was really excited to speak to that and really wanted to do it with as much dignity as possible,” Ball added.
The past 10 episodes have provided some insight into Langdon’s character, including his stern teaching style with Santos and a bit of a nicer touch for intern Mel King (Taylor Dearden). He has also talked about potentially buying a puppy for his wife and two kids, which Dana immediately shut down as he was just giving his wife another thing to care for back home.
Ball stayed tight-lipped about Langdon’s future on “The Pitt” after his abrupt firing, but noted that his family will have a lot of questions should he choose to return home so early in the day.
“If they were to find out about the drug problem, that could have some serious implications on his home life … So yeah, wish him luck,” Ball said.
“The Pitt” releases new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT on Max.
The post ‘The Pitt’ Star Patrick Ball Unpacks Langdon and Robby’s Brutal Episode 10 Fight appeared first on TheWrap.